This Instagram Account Shares Fascinating Moments From History, Here Are 30 Of Our Favorites (New Pics)

Before photography, we had images that were just the combination of someone’s artistic ability (or lack thereof) and some parchment or maybe a wall. For example, the first visual depiction of Jesus Christ might be a bit of graffiti found in 1st-century Rome. It depicts a donkey-headed humanoid being crucified with the caption “Alexandro worshiping his god.” While not quite the Far Side in terms of wit, it helps historians establish that a deified figure must have been crucified around the turn of the century. 

These little tidbits of information are important as they help make the work of ancient historians more bearable. Until relatively recently, most written history was just the work of chroniclers and annalists who mostly made long lists of figures. Very important for modern historians to get a sense of scale, but drier to read than the tablets they were inscribed on.

The first historian, at least as far as modern humans might be concerned, was Herodotus of Halicarnassus, in the sense that he sought out primary sources and attempted to build a narrative from the events. On the other hand, he also enjoyed including folk tales and other mythology in his accounting of events. Very useful for modern scholars of Ancient Greek culture, but a bit less useful for understanding precisely what happened and how. 

Despite his flaws and flights of fantasy, the use of narrative is still common among modern historians. English historian Lawrence Stone believed that readers could better understand an event when it followed the structure of a story. We don’t tend to think of human decisions as existing in a vacuum. As you scroll through these images, notice how your mind starts to construct an understanding of what is going on before you have even read the description. The human mind loves a good narrative. 

Even when the first cameras were more readily available (though not at all common), the time and material requirements often limited what early photographers could actually take pictures of. This is why old war photos tend to focus on the dead and battlefields after a battle. Corpses tend to not move around a lot, unlike people, so the camera can actually capture the images. This had the interesting side effect of possibly changing perceptions of war, as the most common images from a conflict depicted death and destruction.

Humans do develop thicker skin the longer they are exposed to something and we all have a bit of morbid curiosity. As camera technology developed, photographers could get closer to the frontline, yielding more dynamic images, at a greater risk to life and limb. Robert Capa, possibly best known for his images taken on D-day, died covering the First Indochina War when he stepped on a landmine. If you want to see some more interesting historical pictures, check out our other articles here, here, and here.